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James MacKnight (1801 - 1876): Newspaper editor

James MacKnight was born near Rathfriland, County Down, and was educated in Belfast. In 1826, in the absence of the librarian, McKnight was appointed deputy librarian of the Linen Hall Library. He became editor of the Belfast News-Letter in 1827 and when he went to Derry he worked on the Londonderry Standard though for a brief period he returned to Belfast to edit Banner of Ulster. He was an opponent of Repeal, but a strong supporter of the Tenant Right movement, and in 1852 he joined the Tenant League. Among his work is The Ulster Tenants' Claim of Right, published in 1848